Feeding device for sewing-machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. II. IIANNA.

Patented Jan. 27, 18191.

me nonms Ps1-:ws col, Harm-mno.. wAsmnaroN, u. c.

(No Mom.)

EEEDING DEVICE EOE SEWING MACHINES. No. 445,468.

2 sheets-s'heem 2 W. E. IIANNA.

'(NO Model.)`

EEEDING DEVICE EGE SEWING MACHINES.

Patented Jan. 27, 1891.

vein 73' UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

IVILLIAM HAMILTON I-IANNA, OF PETERSBURG, ILLINOIS.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,468, dated January 2'?, 1891-.

Application filed April 26, 1890. Serial No. 349.602. (No model.)

.TorctZZ wwm it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM III-IMILTON IIA'NNA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Petersburg, in the county of Menard and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing- Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in feed mechanisms for sewing-machines adapted for use on universal-feed machines and bn sewing-machines generally; and the object of the invention is to overcome stoppage of the work by a lump or knot forming in the throat, which frequently causes the foot-feed to slip on the Work and the failure of the foot-feed to feed the work, whereby the needle is made to pass through the same hole or perforation a number of times, thus enlarging the knot or lump, and the needle also cuts or cha'ws the work for some distance,thereby necessitating the removal of the work from the machine and the cutting out of the lumps or knots. To overcome these objections I provide a fixed or permanent tubular throat,

which is arranged in line or in the same ver-v tical plane with the needle to provide a passage for the same and the thread, a vibrating throat-plate arranged over the tubular throat and having an aperture or perforation the boundary wall of which is continuous, which is adapted to receive the tubular throat when said throat-plate is depressed, and mechanism for lifting the throat-plate above the plane of the upper edge of the tubular throat at the instant that the foot-feed engages the work, said throat-plate being held in its ele- A vated position by the actuating mechanism provided therefor while the foot is engaged with and feeding the work.

My invention further consists in the combination of devices and peculiar construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to more readily understand my invention, I have illustrated the same in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is an elevation of my improvements, showing the arm and other parts of the machine by dotted lines. Fig. IIis a vertical sectional view through the throat-plate,

the tubular throat, and the actuating devices for moving the throat-plate, showing the said throat-plate depressed and the parts in corresponding position. Fig. III is a View corresponding to Fig. II, with the throatplate elevated and the parts in their reversed positions. Fig. IV is a detail perspective vienY of the throatplate, showing the same in an inverted position.

I have shown my improvement as adapted to a universal-feed sewing-machine which employs a rotary shuttle and top feeding mechanism, and in the accompanying drawings l designates the arm or bed of the machine; 2, the rotary shuttle, arranged within the race in a circular recess in said arm; 3, the main shaft; 4, the foot for pressing upon and feeding the work, and 5 the needle-bar, which carries the needle and which passes through the bifurcated or forked portion at the lower extremity of the foot 4. The shuttle is operated by a cam 6 on the main shaft and the lever 6',

having a roller which rides in the irregular groove in said cam The feed-foot is moved by the cam 7 on one end of said main shaft, which cam engages with suitable lifters on the cylinder that carries the foot, and this foot is operated in the manner well understood by those skilled in the art to Which my invention relates in order to feed the Work at the propel' interval of time.

I shall confine myself more particularly to a description of my improvements and refer to such parts of the machine as are in common use to enable others to more readily understand the purposes and operation of the present invention.

My improvements consist of a tubular throat l0, a vibrating throat-plate ll, and means for actuating said throat-plate.

The tubular throat lO is arranged vertically in the vertical plane of the needle-bar or in thesame plane as the line of movement of the needle, and said throat is fixed or permanent on the arm of the sewing-machine or theparts adjacent thereto.

The vibrating throat-plate Il is arranged over the arm l and the shuttle, and its firee IOO end takes over the protruding part of the tubular throat., said throat-plate being mounted to vibrateI in a vertical plane to assist the feed mechanism in moving the work. 'lhis throat-plate is pivoted at one end on a horizontal transverse pivot l2, and it has a tongue which tits between the bifurcated arms lf3 of a supporting-plate 14, which is normally at rest and held in place by a pivot or set-screw 9', which passes vertically through the supporting-plate It; but it is obvious that by liftingI the throat-plate above the tubular throat both plates can be moved horizontally to throw the tongue-plate away from the sluittle an d permit access to the same. The th roatplate normally depressed by a spring or springs l5, preferably twa in number, which springs are arranged on the lower surface or under side of the throat-plate and the supporting-plate. These springs are flat or leaf springs, and they are secured to lugs 1li on the throat-plate and also suitably secured to l he su pporting-plate, as shown. Near the free end of this vibrating tongue-plate is formed the needle-eye I7, and said vibrating throatplate is so arranged that this eye receives the protruding part of the tubular throat when said throat-plate is depressed by the retracting springs arranged on the lower side of the throat and supporting plates; but this throatplate is positively lifted or elevated above the plane or upper end of the tubular throat at the instant that the foot-feed engages the work, and said plate is held in such elevated position by the following mechanism: A cam or wedge-shaped surface 18 is provided on the lower surface of the vibrating throat-plate at a point between the needle-eye I7 in said plate and the fulerum l2 thereof, said wedgeshaped cam being situated behind the sh ut.- tlc-race or in rear of the needle where only one thread is used. XVith this cam 18 contacts at suitable intervals a similar cam or wedge-shaped surface 19, which is carried by a reciprocating slide 20. rlhis slide is fitted and arranged in suitable guides below the throat-plate, and the slide is actuated from the grooved cam 2l on the main shaft by the lever 22 and an endwisemovable rod 23, which rod is bent at anl intermediate point of its length and has its bent portion passing through a slot 2st in the arm l of the machine. rlhe grooved cam and other operating parts of the machine are so proportioned and combined that the slide 20 is drawn in one direction to bring its wedge-shaped surface 19 in contact with the corresponding surface 18 on the throat-plate at the same instant that the foot-feed engages the fabric or work, thus lifting the throat-plate positively and raising its free end above the tubular throatfand thisthroat-plateis held in its elevated position the whole time that the foot-feed is engaged in moving the work, whereby the throat-plate assists the foot-feed in feeding the work the proper distance at the proper interval ol time,

and all tendency toward improper and irregular feeding of the work by the foot-feed and the stoppage of the work by reason of a lump or knot of thread forming in the tubular throat is obviated. As soon as the foot-feed has fed tl-e work the. slide is moved by the cam in the reverse direction, and the springs depress the throat-plate over the tubular th roat at the instant that the needle-bar descends and the needle and thread pass through the fabric into the throat; but when the needle-bar and needle recede and the foot-feed again engages the work the throat-plate is lifted by the slide and the operation repeated.

The boundary-wall of the needle-eye 17 in the throat-plate is continuous, and the upper part of said eye is countersunk or beveled, as shown.

rlhe operation of my improvement will be readily understood by vthose skilled in the art to which my invention relates from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings.

I do not strictly confine myself to the exact mechanism herein shown and described for giving the slide and its cani a rectilinear re-l ciprocating movement to lift the vibrating throat-plate, as I am aware that other mechanical equivalents can be employed for actuatin g said throat-plate.

I am also aware that modifications in the form and proportion of parts can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a sewing-machine, the combination of a tubular lixed throat, the vibrating throatplate provided with a needle-eye at one end and hung or suspended so that its eye receives said tubular throat, the retracting-spring connected to the th roat-plate, and a reciprocating slide arranged to contact with said throatplate at suitable intervals and provided with means for giving vertical vibration to said throat-plate, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a sewing-machine, the combination of a vibrating throat-plate pivoted at one end, having an eye at or near its free end and a wedge-shaped cam or surface at an intermediate point of'its length, a fixed tubular throat arranged to enter the eye in said throat-plate, a reciprocating slide below the throat-plate and having acam-shaped surface adapted to Contact with the corresponding surface on the throat-plate, mechanism for moving the slide at suitable intervals, and a spring connected to the throat-plate to depress said plate when released from contact with the slide, as and for the purpose described.

3. In a sewing-machine, the combination, with the foot-feed, of a vibrating throat-plate havingan eye, a fixed tubular throat arranged to enter the eye in said throat-plate whenthe IOO same is depressed, mechanism, substtntilly ism is moved to allow' seid throat-plate to be as described, foi' lifting' the thmabpmte at depressed, as and foi' the purpose described. io the instant the foot-feed engages the Work, In testimony whereof I itliix my signature said tlli-oat-plznte being held in its elevated in presence two witnesses.

position by its actuating mechanism during' WILLIAM HAMILTON HANNA. the interval that the foot-feed engages and lVitnesses:

feeds the work, sind the springs for retraeting F. IV. BREZINA,

the throat-plate after the actuating mechen- SHERMAN A. STRICKLETT. 

